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This cache will take you on a walking tour of my hometown, Greencastle, PA. Come and enjoy the downtown area, stop by a coffee shop, or just soak in some history while hunting for this cache.
Greencastle was founded in 1782 by John Allison. The town was named after a small town in County Donegal, Ireland. It was originally composed of 246 lots. By 1790 there were about sixty houses in Greencastle, homes to approximately 400 people.
There is a lot to love about this town. I am a relative newcomer to the area, but I have experienced and enjoyed events such as the annual lighting of the Christmas tree, First Friday activities, the yearly Minstrel Show, sidewalk days, and many other community activities and parades. Of course, any Greencastle native will tell you that I missed the most important event in my previous list--the triennial Old Home Week. This is held every three years and is a week-long series of activities, fun, and food held during the first week of August. This was last held in 2010, but there are already people planning for the next one in 2013.
It is not necessary to do the following to claim a find, but I encourage anyone who searches for this cache to include a story about Greencastle in your log. It can be anything from your own personal experience, a story your friend/family/neighbor/coworker told you, or a bit of history. If you don’t have a story, you can always write about what you think of the downtown area.
You will need to collect information from a variety of signs and plaques in the downtown area in order to find the cache. The first five parts are nothing more than reference points! There are no containers to find, just information to collect from the signs, plaques, and paintings. The actual cache at the last stage is a small container that can hold coins, bugs, and trade items.
REFERENCE POINT ONE: 1st Soldier to Fall
Find the information to get the coordinates to the next location.
N 39.47.ABC
W 077.43.DEF
ABC—What was the GAR Post number? Subtract 48 from that number.
D—How many letters are in the first name of the man who suffered a serious leg wound?
E—How old was Corp. Rihl when he died? Then add 24. Then divide by 9.
F--Multiple Choice: Where was Corp. William Rihl from?
McConnellsburg=1
New York=2
Chambersburg=3
Hagerstown=4
Pittsburgh-5
Greencastle-6
Waynesboro=7
Reading=8
Philadelphia=9
Harrisburg=0
REFERENCE POINT TWO:
Find the information to get the coordinates to the next location.
N 39.47.GHI
W 077.43.JKL
G—In what month did this event occur? Then subtract 6.
H—On what day did this event occur? Then subtract 7.
I—Multiple Choice: Which of the following subjects related to the purpose of this trip?
Revolutionary War=5
Election of 1788=6
Dedication of a cemetery=7
Whiskey Rebellion=8
Visit a Supreme Court nominee=9
Pontiac’s Rebellion=0
JKL—In what year did this visit take place? Then subtract 996.
REFERENCE POINT THREE:
Find the information to get the coordinates to the next location.
N 39.47.MNO
W 077.43.PQR
MNO—Find the phrase “Our branches are worldwide, but our roots are in Greencastle.” Then look for the two years shown above the phrase. Subtract the smaller number from the larger one and add 297
P—Multiple Choice: In what year was this redone? (Check the lower right-hand corner).
2000=1
1997=2
2004=3
2009=4
1999=5
2010=6
2008=7
2001=8
2003=9
2005=0
QR—Multiple Choice: Who is the “colorful” mayor who donated money for this project?
Mike Blackwater=36
Charles White=43
Red Pennsinger=52
Karl Blubaugh=61
Bill Greenlee=70
Robert “Brownie” Eberly=88
REFERENCE POINT FOUR:
Find the information to get the coordinates to the next location.
N 39.47.STU
W 077.43.VWX
S—Numerically, what is the last letter of the last line of the text, NOT the group that placed the sign)? (For example: A=1, B=2, …Z=26)
T—Numerically, what is the 12th letter of the last line of the text?
U—Number of times the letter “i” appears in the last line.
VWX—Multiple Choice: When did the event described take place?
October 14, 1859=438
July 4, 1998=470
October 12, 1794=599
Novemeber 11, 1918=622
June 22, 1863=651
July 2, 1863=677
August 3, 2001=696
March 24, 1782=711
June 13, 1982=734
REFERENCE POINT FIVE:
Find the information to get the coordinates to the final location.
N 39.47.YZ%
W 077.43.#*!
YZ—How old was this person when Greencastle was founded? Then add 3.
%--When was this dedicated? Then subtract 1981.
#*!--What is the month and day of this was dedicated? Then add 67. (For example, Valentine’s Day would become 214).
FINAL LOCATION:
It should be an easy find, but watch out for muggles! I use my car for cover when I check on this cache.
Go find the cache and sign the log!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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